Networks such as the Public Switched Telephone Network (PSTN) have become ubiquitous for communications among individual and business customers. Accordingly, it may be desirable to efficiently administer repair services that are performed on a network such as the PSTN.
It is known to provide a Work Force and Administration-Control (WFA/C) subsystem that automates work request administration and resource administration functions to provide capability for managing installation and repair services on the PSTN. Work Administration analyzes work to be done, determines resources required, manages the allocation of work to work groups and tracks completion of work steps. Force Administration determines the availability of specific human resources, assigns specific work to craft, tracks details of work completion, reports work status and handles inquiries on work status. WFA/C is a legacy system that was originally developed for the Bell telephone system, and is now used by regional operators of the PSTN and others in the telecommunications industry.
WFA/C is well known to those having skill in the art and is described, for example, in U.S. Pat. No. 6,219,648 to Jones et al. entitled Apparatus and Method for Monitoring Progress of Customer Generated Trouble Tickets; U.S. Pat. No. 5,953,389 to Pruett et al. entitled Combination System for Provisioning and Maintaining Telephone Network Facilities in a Public Switched Telephone Network; U.S. Pat. No. 5,881,131 to Farris et al. entitled Analysis and Validation System for Provisioning Network Related Facilities; U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,634 to Kinser, Jr. et al. entitled Combination System for Proactively and Reactively Maintaining Telephone Network Facilities in a Public Switched Telephone System; U.S. Pat. No. 5,790,633 to Kinser, Jr. et al. entitled System for Proactively Maintaining Telephone Network Facilities in a Public Switched Telephone Network, U.S. Pat. No. 5,687,212 to Kinser, Jr. et al. entitled System for Reactively Maintaining Telephone Network Facilities in a Public Switched Telephone Network; U.S. Pat. No. 5,644,619 to Farris et al. entitled Analysis and Validation System for Provisioning a Public Switched Telephone Network; U.S. Pat. No. 5,491,742 to Harper et al. entitled Method and Apparatus for Provisioning a Public Switched Telephone Network; and U.S. Pat. No. 5,416,833 to Harper et al. entitled Method and Apparatus for Provisioning a Public Switched Telephone Network. Accordingly, WFA/C need not be described in detail herein.
WFA/C operates in response to customer trouble tickets, also referred to herein as trouble tickets, related to the PSTN. Historically, trouble was identified by a customer notifying a service center. A trouble ticket was then generated by service center personnel and input to WFA/C. With the advent of the Internet, it has been possible to accept customer trouble tickets related to the PSTN via the Internet, and to provide customer trouble ticket status information to customers via the Internet. Accordingly, Internet-based repair subsystems, referred to herein as eRepair subsystems, have been designed by and/or for network operators and other network service providers.
FIG. 1 is a block diagram that illustrates conventional interaction between an Internet-based repair (eRepair) subsystem and a WFA/C subsystem. Referring now to FIG. 1, the eRepair subsystem 160 includes an eRepair web server 110, and an eRepair application (APP) server 120, which are collectively configured to accept customer trouble tickets related to the PSTN via the Internet and to provide customer trouble ticket status information to customers via the Internet. The eRepair subsystem 160 may interface with a Customer Records Information System (CRIS) 122 that can be used to identify the network operator's customers and the PSTN resources that may be associated with the customer. A customer information database 124 may include other customer identification information.
Still continuing with the description of FIG. 1, a Circuit Provisioning Status System-Trouble Administration (CPSS-TA) 130 provides a gateway between the eRepair subsystem 160 and the WFA/C subsystem 140. CPSS-TA 130 also may provide a gateway between a Loop Management Operating System (LMOS) host 152 and an LMOS Front End (F/E) 154, which are legacy systems that are configured to handle trouble tickets on Plain Old Telephone Service (POTS) circuits, i.e., non-design circuits, typically voice telephone lines. A trouble ticket repository 132 also may interface with CPSS-TA 130.
As was described above, the eRepair subsystem 160 may be configured to provide customer trouble ticket status information to customers via the Internet. Therefore, it may be desirable to provide current and up-to-date information to a customer on outstanding trouble tickets. In order to provide the customer with ticket status information, WFA/C is polled every 45 minutes by CPSS-TA 130, as shown at 134, to deliver all open trouble tickets to the eRepair application server 120. The eRepair application server 120 then makes a determination as to which trouble ticket had changed. A mechanism also is provided via 3270 emulation 136, to query one trouble ticket at a time to determine the current status thereof. The LMOS F/E subsystem 154 and the LMOS host 152 may also be subject to individual trouble ticket queries and the LMOS F/E subsystem 154 also is configured to allow one poll per day, as shown at 156, to deliver all open trouble tickets the eRepair application server 120 via CPSS-TA 130.